Suchergebnisse

Thanks to the neo-liberal economy that has been the official policy in India since July 1991 development-induced displacement is growing in India as a whole as well as in the northeast. The focus on mining and possible 166 dams being planned in the region is bound to displace a much bigger number of people than in the past in the northeast. While it symbolizes globalization, the region witnesses a rise also in the extent of the remaining types of displacement, that is, by conflicts and natural disasters. In fact, because of the overuse of natural and mineral resources after globalization there seems to be a close link between these three types of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Present-day disasters are mostly human-made. The overuse of resources causes competition for what is left of them and it results in more conflicts and IDPs. After a bird's eye view of the situation in India as a whole, the article shifts its focus to the northeast to discuss various types of IDPs in the region. The backdrop of India Look (Act) East policy is taken to bring newer dimensions.

This paper presents the state of displacement and its impact on the already marginalised communities particularly women. Data available on displacement indicate that at least 213 lakhs have been displaced or otherwise deprived of livelihood by development projects between 1951 and 1990. By now they must have crossed 300 lakhs. Most of the Displaced Persons (DPs) are from the assetless rural poor. Tribals constitute more than 40% DPs and Project Affected People (PAP)of dams and mines and 90% of the DPs from Wild Life Sanctuaries. Dalits constitute 20% of DPs and PAPs. Displacement without an alternative to their sustenance is impoverishment Linked to impoverishment is environmental degradation. Thus it results not merely in poverty and ecological degradation but also in the weakening of the culture that ensured renewability. More than men, women are more seriously affected by displacement. This is mainly because of their dependence on the informal economy. The natural resources from which land acquisition alienates them are the very foundation of tribal women's economy, culture, social systems and political structures. Both tribal and dalit women contribute to the family economy and are considered as economic assets. Because of this the tribal and to a lesser extent dalit women enjoy a higher status (not equality) in their society. This economy depended on abundant natural resources among the tribals and traditional skills among the dalits. Alienation from their economic base leads to their downward social mobility. In order to ensure that the DPs/DAPs in general and women in particular are the first beneficiaries in displacement policies, there are certain alternatives starting with a deeper understanding of impoverishment and displacement as a process and the minimising of displacement, and finally rehabilitation as a right.

Capitalism has won, is the verdict of many after the end of the cold war. For nearly four decades most economists and political analysts took for granted that the world options lay between capitalism and socialism. The virtues and shortcomings of the one and the other were debated and some tried to com­ bine the two. Military blocs were formed around the countries that claimed to represent them. This bipolar world collapsed with the end of the cold war. A unipolar world was born. Many concluded that capitalism had won. Is it really true?